


Orpheus

by Lunah_Peixvey



Category: Homestuck, MS Paint Adventures
Genre: And then makes the 9 day trip herself, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Graphic Description of Corpses, Kankri is Eurydice, Kurloz takes the place of Hades, Meenah is Orpheus, Meenah just threatens Kurloz, Meenkri, Meulin is Persephone, Minor Meulin Leijon/Kurloz Makara, Orpheus and Eurydice Myth, There's no singing or musical talent in this one, based on a greek myth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-02-09 20:53:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12896598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunah_Peixvey/pseuds/Lunah_Peixvey
Summary: I fucking love Greek Mythology.





	Orpheus

Eurydice and Orpheus

She snarled, nails digging into her palms as she looked at the cooling body in front of her. The normally tanned skin was quickly turning ashen, the skin under his fingernails turning blue as his heart stopped pumping. Squeezing her eyes shut, Meenah could hear the wet splats of her tears coming into contact with Kankri’s cold skin. Her breath came in ragged breaths and she shook his lifeless body. “No…no. You promised, you promised till death do us part, it’s not today. We can’t part this early, goddamnit.” Meenah squeezed her eyes shut again, trying to stop the stream of tears. Her warm brown eyes trailed to the snake bite, barely bleeding anymore. Meenah growled, low in her throat as her grip tightened on Kankri’s cold shoulders. Releasing her grip, Meenah let him drop to the ground and grabbed her trident from the wall, “I’m getting you back, Vantas. You can’t get away that easily.”

The trip to Hades was a long one, and an arduous one. But Meenah has all the time in the world, no time she isn’t willing to give up for her husband. Occasionally, she hired a charioteer to take her farther than she was willing or able to walk, but she made the majority of the trip on her feet. Eventually, it paid off. Meenah gripped the silver chain around her neck and gulped as she looked up at the mouth of the cave in front of her. “Nine days, nine nights in. Nine nights, nine days out. Round trip, nineteen days.” Another nod and she tightened her grip on her trident as she moved into the cave. The bag of provisions hung heavy at her side, but she didn’t care. She’s going to get him back.

The trip down into the realm of the dead was mainly boring. Nine days and nine nights of boring black and grey stone and steep inclines. Nine nights of sleeping on uncomfortable ground with a dagger in her hand. But at the end, she could see the River Styx. Meenah allowed her pace to speed up, nearing sprinting towards the ferry. Donning her black cloak, she pulled the hood up and placed a coin under her tongue. She joined the line of shades, trying to keep her breathing under control. When she reached the front, she opened her mouth. Rufioh didn’t blink (of course he couldn’t, he was a skeleton with no eyes) as he took the coin from her mouth and ushered her onto his boat. Meenah joined the crowd of shades and pulled her cloak tighter around herself. The dead emitted an unnatural cold, making her shiver and her breath steam in the air.

The trip was slow and cold, but Meenah just kept rubbing her fingers over the necklace, repeating Kankri’s name over and over to herself _This is all for you._ She thought as she looked up at where the cavern ceiling should be. It was covered by fog, only poked through by thick stalactites. Her right hand clutched the necklace, and her left gripped the downsized trident. 

“Everybody off!” Rufioh called, poling them to the shore and stopping there. She left with the crowd, and they all filed towards the guard dog of the underworld. Cerberus. Standing tall, taller than she thought, above her. If she went under him, he’d for sure kill her. So, Meenah went in another direction. She strayed from the group and moved right towards Kurloz’s palace. The dark stone spires were her marker as she resized her trident, swinging it across her path as she growled. It was _his_ fault. All his fault. Meenah’s nerves felt more and more tense as she approached the palace, wondering why no one was stopping her. 

Pushing the thought out of her mind, Meenah walked across the drawbridge, holding her trident in one hand and her dagger in the other. She marched into the throne room, slamming the door open.

There, sitting on an obsidian throne so dark it looked purple, was the King of the Dead. Kurloz Makara, as some irreverent folks called him, a god in his own right. Ever living and powerful not thanks to genetics, but because he grabbed the power himself. There was an empty throne next to him, carved within the darkest shade of jade Meenah’d ever seen. The throne of his queen, Meulin Leijon. 

Meenah kept moving towards him, not bothering to stop and bow or kneel before him. Swinging her trident, she embedded it into the stone, trapping Kurloz’s neck between the tines. “Give him back.” She snarled.

The god had the nerve to flash her a smug smirk, “Give who back, Meenah Peixes?” 

She howled in rage, moving to almost straddle him as her hand tangled in his hair, slamming his head against the rock, “You know who. Kankri Vantas. Give him back.”

“Why would I do that? You aren’t exactly being nice in your request.” The smug smirk stayed on his face and he tapped the shortest tine and tutted his tongue, “Ask nicely and I might consider your request.”

Meenah didn’t move the trident, keeping it against the throne, “Fine. How’s this for nice?” She leaned forward, their noses almost touching, “Give me a challenge to bring him back or I’ll rip you open.” She flashed him a mocking smirk, “You might be immortal, but I think getting your organs ripped out would still hurt like a bitch.” 

Kurloz grinned and snapped his fingers, “Deal. How about this-“ A flick of his hand got her thrown off of the throne, trident still in her hand, “I let you leave with your lover’s spirit, and the challenge is. If you can make the trip back up to the overworld without looking behind you to see if Kankri is behind you, he’ll come back to life. You must trust him to follow you.”

Rising up, Meenah brushed her chiton off and nodded her head, “I accept. But on one condition. I get to see Kankri’s spirit before leaving, just to make sure you aren’t cheating.” 

“Done.” Another snap of his fingers and Kankri’s spirit appeared. He was ghostly pale, his legs and feet barely there and his full body wispy.

“Meenah!” He called, his voice sounding like he was a million miles away.

Meenah felt her legs go weak and she felt her breath hitch in her throat, “I’m going to win.” She turned around, closing her eyes and saying, “Kankri, follow me. I’m getting you out of here.” Before opening her eyes and leaving the throne room.

On her trip back, no one bothered her. Not the guards, not Cerberus, none of the monsters working for Kurloz. The entirety of the underworld was silent, no ambient noises, soundless. Probably another test of Kurloz, either that or he needed to deafen her to stop her from hearing whatever Kankri was saying. The thought drew a chuckle out of her, and she jumped as she could hear that.

Shaking her head, Meenah continued forward, stopping at the riverside and waiting for Rufioh’s ferry to come to this side. She waited to the side as the shades dispersed into the lines and climbed aboard the ferry. When Rufioh’s jaw opened to object, Meenah passed him two coins. His jaw shut and she motioned for him to leave. 

The trip to the other side was warmer than her first passage, but it was silent. There was no sound from Rufioh’s pole pushing them through the water. Meenah hummed to distract herself from the muted land, and kept her eyes trained on the horizon. “I’m going to win this.” She said it aloud, letting her words echo in her sound chamber. “I’m going to bring Kankri back, and we’ll live our full lives.” The words sounded hollow as they echoed, but Meenah couldn’t afford to pay it any mind.

Soon enough, and at the same time not soon enough, they came to the other side. Jumping off the boat, Meenah pushed her way through the crowd of shades. Her eyes narrowed and she let her lips rest into a sneer. “Kankri, we have nine days till we’ll reach the surface, so I’m trusting you to not put yourself in my field of vision when I wake up.” Meenah kept moving, not expecting an answer. 

The first three days of waking and walking were easy. Slightly hard on her body considering the rough and rocky terrain, but that was what she was used to. But after waking up, on what Meenah considered the ‘dawn’ of the fourth day, things changed. 

Sound came back, but she couldn’t speak. She attempted to speak out to Kankri, but she couldn’t. Instead her lips just mouthed the words with no sound save for her breath. But she paid it no mind. She didn’t need to talk to be able to travel or believe Kankri was behind her. 

Meenah went along for three more days like this. Mute, but hearing all the noises around her. Bats squeaking, water dripping from stalactites, her own footsteps. It was easy, hearing the ambient sounds made it harder for her to sleep, but it was easy.

It was the final three days that were the worst. Meenah could speak and she could hear, but it was what she heard that made it hard. The wind howled at her, screaming at her in words that she could hear.

_”YOU LET HIM DIE.”_ The wind screamed in Kurloz’s voice, echoed in the cavern walls, _”YOU WEREN’T WITH HIM! YOU LET HIM GO OFF ON HIS OWN AND NOW HE DIED!”_

Meenah squeezed her eyes shut and shivered, pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders and kept on. Her nails dug into her palms as she kept moving forward. She sped up her pace, trying to finish the journey as soon as she could. Wanting out of this cave with its voices and it’s howling winds. 

The sleeping was the worst. The wind’s voices never let up, howling at her as she tossed and turned on the rocky ground. But still, she slept and she walked and she slept and she walked.

Eventually, the ground ahead of her lightened up. Meenah’s paused in her pace, blinking as her eyes got used to the new light. Though, once her eyes adjusted, Meenah rushed forward. Her feet pounding out a hopeful beat on the stone path as she sprinted towards the opening. Her breath became ragged once more as she breathed harder as she propelled herself. Hand tugged at her cloak and she ignored them, just more tricks of the land. She came into the sunlight, laughing and cheering. She had bested the god of death himself! A few more steps forward, and then a few more. Then she heard a thump behind her.

Whirling around, Meenah saw Kankri, in his body and fully whole once more. A sob tore its way out of her mouth and she rushed forward to see him. Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled him close and tucked her face into his neck, “Oh..Kankri..” Her voice broke when she said his name.

She felt his hands on her back, warm and reassuring as they always had been. “I’m right here, Meenah. I’m not leaving again for a long time.” Kankri’s voice was raw and rough and he moved her head to kiss her lips.

She kissed back, pushing him back in the field of flowers, laughing out, “I love you, so fucking much.”

“I can tell that, love, you did just threaten a god for me.” He smiled softly at her.


End file.
